Who Should I Start? Sterling Shepard or Pat Bryant

Friday, January 2, 11:40 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been completely phased out of the team's game plan with their WR corps at full strength, putting him on the back burner for fantasy. The 32-year-old was a bigger part of Tampa Bay's offense earlier in the campaign, as the receiving room dealt with a myriad of injuries. However, as veterans Mike Evans (rest) and Chris Godwin Jr., and second-year pro Jalen McMillan have returned to full health, Shepard has faded from the offense. In fact, Shepard has been a healthy scratch over the past few weeks, signaling the team's preference in the starting lineup. The Oklahoma product has been a fine secondary option over the course of his career, but he can be avoided for fantasy purposes in a loaded Bucs' pass-catching unit.

Friday, January 2, 8:36 PM

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant (concussion) has been cleared to play ahead of the Week 18 matchup versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Bryant will make his return after being forced to exit during the end of the Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The third-round rookie has been seeing increased reps down the stretch of the season. Over his last four games, Bryant has 17 receptions on 25 targets for 198 receiving yards. The target share has been there, but Bryant isn't doing much in terms of yardage. He figures to continue seeing a significant snap count with the Broncos needing to win this game to lock up the No. 1 seed. The Broncos have a crowded wide receiver group, though, so Bryant can't be trusted as anything more than a touchdown-dependent, WR4/flex.